He has this cry that is awful and I can't get him to stop because he is still sleeping. I have to slowly and quietly talk to him in his ear until he wakes up and takes his binkie back or nurses back to sleep.
It is scary. His eyes are half way open and just staring off to neverland. He has already had a few and I hope that the future ones are kept to a minimum.
It is safe to say he is definitely dreaming. Maybe he just has a very good imagination?
My daughter has had them since she was quite young (6 weeks, I think) and I agree - it is awful to witness. The hard part is, the thing that truly distinguishes a night terror from a nightmare is that a nightmare is a dream, but a night terror occurs during deep sleep. It's harder to deal with, I think. I also experienced night terrors as a child (and a few oither parasomnias), so I can relate to it. My understanding is that is can be worse during times of stress, extreme fatigue, or right before huge developmental milestones. I personally remember having them a lot when I was sick (btw,I outgrew them by the time I was a teenager). I have a hard time knowing what to do when my daughter has one. I've read that it's not always a good thing to wake them up, since that might actually add to their confusion, but I really hate hearing her crying and whimper... Hopefully your son grows out it quickly.
ReplyDeleteYou had night terrors until you were about 3 and 1/2....and yes they were exactly like that...eyes half open but not here...screaming....mom
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